


Before Later Becomes Never

by EtaeWrites



Category: Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Universe Alterations, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Isbel saves the day just as it should be, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-09 14:40:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17408801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtaeWrites/pseuds/EtaeWrites
Summary: The battle to take back Rivia Castle seems to go smoothly, until it doesn't anymore.Fortunately, Isbel arrives in time to help.





	Before Later Becomes Never

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly just lots of angst and lots of especially Reynard being very soft and vulnerable to basically pack up a headcanon that I would've loved to see implemented in-game.  
> (Also I honestly don't know about the title, I just grabbed a song by Caliban tbh because I was unable to come up with something better /shrugs)

Their plan for taking back Rivia Castle turned out to work more smoothly than suspected, at least for the time being. Gascon and his men had managed to infiltrate the castle and open it for Meve and her army, the element of surprise giving them an advantage. Reynard was right behind the queen the whole time, as always, though by now it felt strange to not have Gascon in their close proximity as well. Which – in Reynard's opinion – was even more reason to get to the guardhouse as fast as possible to bring his party relief. Meve was obviously thinking the same, fighting fearlessly to reach their point of interest without losing any time.

Upon arriving though, the smell of blood made both of them reel even before the sparse light could reach all corners of the guard room. Half of the floor seemed to be covered in crimson, the other half being the bodies of Gascon's men, slaughtered. They had obviously put up a good fight, but it hadn't helped them in the end. Reynard could feel his pulse speeding up at the sight, dread creeping up in the back of his mind. His gaze wandered hastily over the dead bodies until he finally spotted Gascon – the man was half slumped over the winch's crank, arrows piercing his chest. Reynard hurried over to him, Meve at his heels. He could hear her mutter hardly suppressed curses and nearly started when she yelled for Isbel to show up this instant. The queen had ordered the sorceress to stay close, but she had apparently fallen behind as the fighting to take back Rivia Castle had progressed. Reynard sent a silent prayer to the gods that she'd arrive quickly and dropped to his knees next to Gascon, tearing off his cape to press it against the bleeding wounds. He was still breathing, though every single intake of air produced an ugly, wet sound that made Reynard feel sick with fear. Gascon raised his head slightly at noticing someone next to him.

“Don't you dare dying on us now”, Reynard said to him, attempting desperately to staunch the bleeding until Isbel would arrive.

“Easy to say when you don't have arrows in your chest”, Gascon wheezed and a cough rattled his frame, blood dripping from his lips. He attempted a smile, but the sight of it only made Reynard more anxious, especially with the blood starting to seep through the cloth on top of the wounds, staining his hands red. They just wouldn't stop bleeding.

“'tis no time for jests, Gascon”, Reynard answered, earning an unhealthy sounding laugh from the former brigand.

“When else would I get to do it again though?”

“When we get out of here. You'll live”

Gascon's reply was a small, sad smile, before he coughed up even more blood. He didn't talk back, but Reynard knew what he was thinking. A thought that lingered in his mind, too, but he didn't want to accept at any cost.

“Where the devils is Isbel?!”, Reynard shouted, his gaze wandering to Meve in search of support. The queen looked about as afraid about Gascon as he did and he aggressively blinked back the tears that were coming to his eyes at the sight. Seeing even Meve frozen in place, battling her emotions at what was happening nearly tore him apart. But this wasn't over yet. They could still save him. They _had_ to save him.

Eventually a commotion on the stairs drew his attention away from Gascon and he let out a sigh of relief when Isbel finally appeared and rushed to their side. She assessed the situation in about a moment, gesturing to remove the cloth so she could get a better look. Three arrows, one of them all the way through Gascon's chest. She pointed at it.

“Break off the head, we need to get this out first”, she said firmly, placing one hand on Gascon's chest and one on his back so the arrow's shaft was between her fingers. Reynard did as he was told, casting away the tip. Isbel looked at him for a moment and then gave him a curt nod to remove the remainder of the arrow. He felt like his heart was torn into pieces when he heard the silent, yet utterly pained cry from Gascon at pulling the arrow out of his chest, his whole body trembling at the removal of the object. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Meve flinching at the sound, making a small jolt in their direction out of reflex. Isbel's hands covered the wound as soon as the projectile was removed, a faint glow showing up beneath them, whispering an inaudible spell. The flow of blood seemed to finally stop under her touch, though it was hard to tell with how stained Gascon's clothes were. Reynard could suddenly feel the other man's body go limp while holding him in place and panic surged through him as he noticed the change. He could still see his shallow breaths, but the fact that Gascon had lost consciousness sent a wave of anxiety to his already agitated mind. Reynard's eyes darted to Isbel and she looked up for a small moment.

“Go now. The other medics and I are enough to take care of this”, she said, her gaze already focused back on Gascon, gauging his every breath, as weak as it was.

“ _Go_ ”, she repeated more insistently when Reynard hesitated to leave. Isbel knew what she was doing, he told himself. And they had more important tasks at hand than keeping an eye on her while she tried to save Gascon, as much as he wanted to stay and make sure everything would turn out alright.

Reynard finally rose, following Meve out of the guardhouse and on to confront aep Dahy. The queen was channeling her emotions into seething rage at what had happened to Gascon and their foe would soon see that hurting him had been a grave mistake.

***

Reynard felt like he was about to die from apprehension, crossing the camp at Meve's side to get to Gascon. The medics had told them that they had stationed him in his own tent instead of the sickbay, Isbel apparently tending to him at this very moment.

His blood ran cold when he saw the sorceress exit the tent just as they arrived, rubbing off her hands on her dress and letting out a long breath. Her gaze darted to him and the queen as they came to a halt in front of her.

“Isbel, is he …?”, Meve started to say, her own voice betraying her usually composed attitude. Worry sounded in every word and she was unable to finish her sentence.

“Gascon should be alright, Your Grace”, Isbel replied quickly, giving both her and Reynard a small, reassuring smile. “He lost a lot of blood, but we managed to extract all arrows without further complications. He'll have to rest for some time, but I'm hopeful that he'll pull through it, should no other problems arise while he's healing”

Reynard let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and even Meve sighed at those words.

“Can we see him?”, she asked and Isbel nodded a little.

“He isn't awake yet, though”, she added, but neither Meve nor Reynard cared about that – all of them knew they both longed to assure themselves of the fact that Gascon was indeed alive, so nothing Isbel could've said would have managed to keep them away.

The former brigand lay motionless when they entered the tent, the blanket over him rising and falling with every breath. He looked pale, exhausted even while unconscious, but he was alive.

“Thank the Gods and Mother Melitele for their mercy”, he heard Meve mumble. She stepped to the bed and gently ran a hand through Gascon's hair. There was no reaction from him. Reynard walked to her side, touching the back of his hand to hers – a silent gesture that had found it's way into their lives whenever they weren't able to show their affection openly and was so ingrained in their interactions that it happened even now, when no secrecy would be needed. She didn't look up, taking his hand into hers and giving it a tight squeeze in response. They stood silently for a long time, until Isbel returned, a soldier carrying in chairs after her. Reynard had a feeling that she knew exactly why both the queen and her general worried so much about Gascon, but she didn't seem to mind at all – instead she let them keep watch for as long as they desired.

***

Reynard rose when he heard a small groan, rushing to Gascon's side at the sound. He was stirring just slightly, eventually taking in a deep breath – and opening his eyes. The Duke of Dogs blinked about in confusion, his face distorting for a moment when he registered that he was actually in pain.

Reynard could feel a sob building up in his throat at this, his vision going blurry from the tears that were coming to his eyes. All the uncertainty, the fear and anxiety, seemed to be released in one single moment. He was so incredibly relieved to see the other man waking up after what had felt like an eternity.

“... Are you crying? You know I'm not dead, right?”, croaked Gascon, squinting at him with a hint of his usual mischievous smile on his face, despite the agony his injuries must cause him. A noise escaped Reynard that was half sob, half laugh. Hardly returned from the dead and already back to teasing him. Unbelievable.

The former brigand reached out to him, his hand eventually cupping his cheek and gently wiping away the tears with his thumb. Reynard turned his head just a little so he could press a kiss on the palm of Gascon's hand.

“I'm glad you're alive”, Reynard managed to say, almost unable to recognize his own voice, as thick as it was with emotion. “We both are” His gaze was on Meve at those words. He could see she, too, was struggling to hold back her tears of relief, but she managed better than he did so far. When Gascon's hand slumped down again, she pulled Reynard into a short, reassuring kiss before turning back to the other.

“How do you feel?”, she asked after clearing her throat. Her voice sounded shaky nonetheless.

“Like I took an arrow to the chest”, he replied.

“Very funny”

“Have I ever been anything else?”

Meve shook her head with a small smile on her lips, the tension finally easing up on her as well, then reached out to Gascon to weave her fingers through his hair. He hummed a bit at the touch, closing his eyes while it lasted.

“I hope you kicked aep Dahy's ass for me while I was preoccupied?”, he asked after a while, eliciting a groan from Meve in response.

“No. The whoreson escaped before we got to him. Wiggled away like the cowardly maggot he is”, she growled. The queen's anger hadn't subsided in the slightest even now – Reynard remembered her fighting with such a fury after seeing Gascon at the brink of death, it was like a fire that spread out to everyone else as well. The subsequent frustration upon noticing that aep Dahy had fled had been huge, but they knew he couldn't run forever.

“We'll get him eventually. He'll be out of places to hide very soon”, Reynard said and Meve nodded at his words. They'd have to bide their time once again, but victory was close enough that it was bearable. Silence fell after that, lasting for a little while until Gascon spoke up again.

“... Have you two been sitting around here the whole time?”, he wondered, finally realizing that it wasn't Isbel or a medic he had seen upon waking up.

“We have to tend to our wounded”, Meve replied, granting him a tiny, warm smile, “And it's rather difficult to plan further strategies while missing one of my advisers, unsure whether he'll recover from his injuries”

Gascon let out a small laugh, only to screw up his face a second later.

“Dammit, that hurt”, he wheezed and took a few breaths until the pain subsided enough, “I feel flattered that you're so worried about me though”

“Of course we are”, Reynard said, exchanging a look with Meve. “Speaking of which, we should probably let Isbel know you're awake … She explicitly stated to send for her as soon as you wake up”

“So many people worried about my well-being. I could get used to that”, Gascon grinned.

“I think those worried people would beg to differ, at least about the circumstances”, Reynard sighed and walked to the tent's entrance to let one of the soldiers standing guard know that Gascon was awake and he was to fetch Isbel. They'd stay until the sorceress arrived, in comfortable silence, yet well aware how narrowly they had avoided losing a loved one.

 


End file.
